How to Freeze Fresh Curry Leaves – The Complete Guide
Freezing curry leaves is by far the best way of preserving them. Using the leaves dry tends to lose some of that delicate, aromatic fragrance that fresh curry leaves have. After much experimentation my preference is to freeze some whenever I have a supply of fresh curry leaves.
How to Freeze Fresh Curry Leaves
Time needed: 5 minutes
- Remove the leaves from the stalks
With your hand simply gently pull the leaves away from the stalks. You shouldn’t need to cut them. The stalks are tough and woody and cannot be used in cooking so can be discarded.
- Check and discard any damaged leaves
Look through the leaves and discard any that are yellowing, spotted or damaged. Only freeze leaves that are in good condition.
- Wash thoroughly
Rinse the leaves well under cold running water to remove any dust, dirt or pesticide residue.
- Dry thoroughly
This step is critical and often skipped. Spread the washed leaves out on a clean tea towel or kitchen roll and pat dry. Ideally leave to air dry for 20-30 minutes. Freezing wet leaves causes them to clump together into a solid mass in the bag, making it difficult to remove small quantities later when needed for cooking.
- Freeze in a zip lock bag
Next I place the dry leaves into a zip lock bag and place it in the freezer. Label the bag with the date.
- Use straight from frozen
When needed simply remove the leaves from the bag and use in your cooking as if they were fresh.
I have found it important to use a zip lock freezer bag to store the leaves in. Without a bag the leaves are prone to freezer burn and losing long term flavour.
To use frozen curry leaves simply remove as many as you need from the freezer and add to the pan. There is no need to defrost the leaves first.
How Long Do Frozen Curry Leaves Last
If the leaves are washed, dried and stored in an airtight container in the freezer, I have found frozen curry leaves maintain their flavour well for up to 12 months.
How Else to Preserve Curry Leaves
The other common way to preserve curry leaves is to dry them. This can be done either in a food dehydrator or by simply spreading the fresh leaves out on a large tray and leaving them to dry in a warm room with good airflow. When the leaves are crisp and break instead of bending they are ready. Store them in an airtight container and they should last over a year.
While dried curry leaves are arguably more convenient to store and use, I much prefer freezing them. I find frozen curry leaves is much better at preserving the fresh aromatic flavours.
Can you grow your own curry leaves?
Here in the UK I have had mixed success in the past when it comes to taking cuttings from fresh curry leaves that have been bought from the local Indian supermarket. A few cuttings that I have made in the past have taken but they are not the easiest to propagate.Check out our full guide to propagating curry leaves to learn more.
FAQ
Yes. Frozen curry leaves react/perform in cooking almost identically to fresh ones. The heat of the pan or oil revives their fragrance effectively. Use them straight from frozen without defrosting. Expect some sizzling if added to hot oil in a pan as the thin layer of frozen ice around the leaves reacts with the hot oil.
Yes. Always wash your curry leaves and dry them thoroughly before freezing them. To do this is rinse them under cold water then spread them out on a kitchen tea towel to air dry before freezing.
We recommend removing the leaves from the stalks before freezing. It takes a few extra minutes but gives you a more usable end product. That said there is no reason why you cannot freeze them on the stalks. Once frozen the leave come away from the stem/stalks very easily.
How to Use Frozen Curry Leaves in Cooking
Curry leaves are a mainstay of South Indian cooking. Using frozen curry leaves adds that beautiful aromatic flavour to dishes. Most of these dishes start off by frying black mustard seeds, cumin seeds and dried red chillies in ghee/oil. Then the curry leaves are added typically before the onions. This is sometimes referred to as ‘tarka’ or ‘tadka’ which is just a way of blooming the essential oils from the spices/leaves into the oil to create a base flavour of the dish.
Below are a few of our favourite recipes where curry leaves are an essential ingredient:
- Rasam – A thin South Indian soup/broth
- Beetroot Pachadi – A fresh beetroot and yogurt based curry
- Lime Pickle – A classic pickle to serve with Indian dishes
While they are freezing should the leaves be separated and spread out or can you literally just fill a bag with fresh leaves and chuck it in the freezer?
This is blowing my mind how uncommon it is to see this freezer method. Essentially every one else is either drying them before storing or storing fresh in the fridge for max 10 days. Why don’t more people mention this? It seems far better in terms of retaining flavor and storage life.
So long as they are not wet beforehand just stick them in a bag in the freezer. If they are wet prior to freezing they will likly stick together when frozen. Enjoy the tip!
I purchased a Murraya Koenigi curry leaf plant from a nursery back in around 2010. It’s still going strong. I prune it right back for the winter, and overwinter the plant indoors. Come the spring, it goes outside and flourishes year after year. Fresh leaves are the best and I freeze the harvested leaves before the winter prune.
I have just been given a large bag of curry leaves from the owner of my local liquor store, Mita, along with a curry leaf plant, so i will let the leaves dry and i will freeze them, and step up my plant into a bigger pot, thanks for the advice and thanks again Mita for presents.
Ronald – Don’t dry the leaves. For the best results simply take the leaves off the stems, wash them and freeze them fresh!